Thanks in large part to Dr. Atkins, a lot of people have become downright pasta-phobic. At the other extreme are the Pastafarians, who worship a durum flour-based deity known as the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

The just published Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is flying off the shelves. But there's a noodle with an even bigger cult following; House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles.

This nearly no-carb, ultra low fat Japanese noodle is made from a blend of tofu and a kind of yam flour called Konnyaku, which reportedly normalizes cholesterol and blood sugar levels. A 4-ounce serving has 20 calories, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 0.5 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber. House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodles come in two varieties: a wide, fettucine style, or a spaghetti-like noodle.

"Shirataki noodle mania is currently in full swing!" reports the food blog Livin' La Vida Low-Carb. "WOW! Check it out, this is AWESOME dude!" Carb-o-phobes are ecstatic to have a noodle they can substitute for their favorite forbidden pasta dishes.

I first noticed these noodles at my local supermarket a few months back and started using them to make some of my favorite Asian noodle dishes. The wide noodles are perfect for pad thai, and the thin ones make great sesame noodles. I haven't used them to make any Italian style pasta dishes but there are plenty of people who swear the noodle style Shirataki makes a fine spaghetti substitute.

Shirataki noodles differ from other noodles in several ways; they come packaged in water, and they cook almost instantly. Their gelatinous texture might turn mushy if you overcook them, but if you boil the noodles for just a minute or so they have a nice texture.

Demand for these noodles is so great that Amazon's gourmet food division is having trouble keeping them in stock. The spaghetti style noodle is currently the 2nd most popular food item on Amazon, and the fettucine noodles rank 3rd (The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, by comparison, was at number 47 on the best seller list last time I checked).

In addition to being fast and healthy, House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles have the added virtue of being ridiculously cheap; an 8-ounce bag sells for $1.69 at Whole Foods. But you might have trouble finding them at any price right now, such is the Shirataki craze; when I went to Whole Foods the other day they were completely sold out. I bet the same people who beat me to the Wallaby yogurts snatched up the last bags of Shirataki. All these gourmet hunter gatherers! The foodie competition is just too fierce.

House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles

Cost: $1.69 - $2.49

Where to Buy it: Whole Foods, Amazon , some local supermarkets, and Asian food stores